Does 'old age' always include toenail fungus?

I got a kick out of book reviewer Dwight Garner's reference to "old age" in his review in today's New York Times of Germaine Greer's latest book, "White Beech."

Sue Scheible The Patriot Ledger @sues_ledger

I got a kick out of book reviewer Dwight Garner's reference to "old age" in his review in today's New York Times of Germaine Greer's latest book, "White Beech."

Garner, who is 49, writes midway through the piece: "I have a weakness, I should say, for good books about old age. I like to know how smart people have dealt over the long haul with marriage, with drinking, with sex, with young people, with toenail fungus, with work, with loss. 'White Beech' isn’t that kind of book."

Toenail fungus? It may seem to be ubiquitous but this is the first time I've found it included in a short list of aging. But the Berkeley Wellness Letter reported last fall in "The Lowdown on Toenail Fungus:"

"Toenail fungus is probably the topic that readers have asked us most about over the years. That’s not surprising since it is so common, so unpleasant and so hard to treat. The fungus causes the toenail, particularly on the big toe, to thicken and discolor; the end may separate from the nail bed. Often, the nail is so thick you can’t cut it. In severe cases, the nail may detach and fall off.

"Medically known as onychomycosis, toenail fungus is increasingly common, possibly because of lifestyle changes and an aging population. Though estimates vary, about 10 percent of Americans have it, and this increases to about 20 percent in people over 60 and up to 50 percent of those over 70. More men than women get it."

I am constantly learning new things about aging, sometimes where I least expect it.